Pagan Gods Permeate Marvel’s Black Panther Movie

The latest move from Marvel’s superhero series is “Black Panther.” Almost immediately the audience is introduced to the ancient African Pagan gods who are continually exalted during the movie.

Near the beginning of Black Panther, the old king T’Chaka (John Kani) informs his son T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) that at the beginning of Wakanda, a meteorite made of vibranium struck Africa, while a warrior shaman saw a vision of the panther goddess Bast.

This god is know earlier in history as the goddess “Bastet,” an Egyptian cat-like goddess of warfare from Lower Egypt. There are several references to Bast during the movie and worship is offered to this pagan deity repeatedly by the declaration, “Glory to Bast!”

In one scene while seeking a miracle, the characters “call upon Bast,” by praying to the goddess.

There are five African tribes in Black Panther with the Jabari tribe in estrangement from the other four who reject the kingship of Black Panther. The Jubari tribe worship the ape god of Hanuman. Their leader, M’Baku (Winston Duke), challenges king T’Challa for rulership of Wakanda. As M’Baku makes his challenge, he shouts, “Glory to Hanuman!” As the battle for kingship ensues M’Baku challenges T’Challa, by saying, “Where is your god now?”

Hanuman is the name of a Hindu deity from the epic Ramayana and other Hindu, Buddhist, Jain,, and Sikh scriptures, most important, the Mahabharata, the most important texts of Hinduism.

As the superhero-king, Black Panther wants to isolate their tribe and its supernatural powers and technology from the rest of the world. This is due their self endowed superiority over all nations and races.

There are repeated references in praising the ancestors during Black Panther, with emphasis on gaining supernatural power from these past warriors.

It is important to remember that the Bible describes only One True God, with all other gods as demons masquerading as gods. In this sense, the pagan gods of Black Panther are demonic in origin and this doctrine of worshipping these demon gods is highly venerated throughout the movie.

There are repeated references to the ancestral realm where the collective memory of Dhalia, a transcendent plane where souls go in a state of “living death.”

This is again, demonic references that were common amongst the pagan gods of the Canaanites whom the God of the Bible told His people to have nothing to do with.

Ancestor worship is strictly forbidden by the God of the Bible, primarily because the unsuspecting worshippers are exalting demonic spirits. This type of worship is very popular in African culture, as well as Asia, Europe, and Oceania cultures.

Although the viewer is made to believe that Africans worship these pagan gods, in reality, Christianity and Islam are the two primary religions on the continent.

Equally disturbing are racist undertones throughout the movie, referencing a strong anti-colonialist streak where white people are condemned as “colonizers. When one of the only white characters in the movie attempts to give advice he is shouted down and told there will be no opinions from colonizers permitted.

Although I have read many opinions from Christians praising the movie Black Panther, it is clear that they did not recognize some of the difficulties I mentioned in this article.

At the end of the movie we learn that the citizens of Wakanda believe themselves superior in every way to every other people around the world. They believe their intelligence and technological prowess can bring salvation to the world. Appearing before a world counsel, the Black Panther seeks to offer himself as a sort of savior to help all mankind become what they should be.

Whatever the intent of Black Panther was, it is certain that it is very dangerous to the world by its exaltation of pagan-demonic gods, reliance upon ceremonies from demonic entities, and exaltation of one race above others.

In truth, the God of the Bible has provided the world its only Savior who is the Eternal God in human flesh, dying for the sins of the world. The movie, Black Panther does not address the sins of all people but seems to focus primarily upon those of the colonizers who enslaved them.

The God of the Bible views all people as equally loved, valuable and worthy of the great sacrifice Jesus made for the sins of the world.

2 replies

People are looking for new mythologies as, sorry to say, they have lost faith in traditional religions. Is this possibly because of so many divisions within Christianity? American Protestantism consists of thousands of denominations or splinter groups after all.

larryzb, i would say you may want to read Pastor Rob’s discussion on “Why Christianity Is Different From All Religions”. Just put it in the search box and it will pop up. The article discusses this very question.